Kiss Your Love Good-bye
by Hokori
Summary: Juuhachi is beginning to grow away from her husband and into the arms of another man. The shocking part is...this other man happens to be Vegeta.
1. Kiss Your Love Goodbye (Prologue)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh! This is the last time! I've screwed up twice already! -_- ;;;. If I have to post this one more time.I'm not doing it! I'll probably get banned from FF.net if I do.Ick!  
  
But, if this does work (finally!), then the next part is coming in a bit. **sigh**  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
RATING: PG-13  
  
PART: prologue  
  
PAIRING: I'm not telling until you finish reading this part! So, ha!  
  
WARNING: Blood, depression, voices in the head...nothing too majorly gruesome.  
  
DISCLAIMER: All Dragonball GT characters belong to Akira Toriyama and the producers of Dragonball GT. I do not own any of the characters, or anything to do with the characters. Blah, blah, blah...You get the point.  
  
Note: For all of you non-Japanese speaking people, Juuhachi= #18 and Juunana= #17.  
  
  
  
A darkness shrouded her soaked body like a cloak in the still of the night. Water lapped at her sides, caressing her body with invisible hands. The murky liquid was horribly frigid against her skin and would have been a reviving to any other. But, she'd been trapped so long in it's shallow depths, it now held her down with cold, deadly fingers.  
  
Numb from head to toe, Juuhachi lay, submerged. Her skin was soft and soggy, blue and pale as death. The water had sucked away all the glorious vitality she contained, like a thirst in the driest desert. Her blond hair, now grayish in the silver moonlight, was matted in straw-like nests upon her head. Makeup was long washed away and all evidence of beauty gone. She seemed a ghost; merely a ghost.  
  
The glorious Juuhachi...now wretched and nearly drowned. Her body was so sprawled and unmoving it seemed death had finally taken her. Even if she did attempt the impossible task of stretching her bony fingers or shifting her aching muscles in the deepness of the dark, she knew not a motion would be made. The water had stolen all of her beautiful energy away. Stolen... There was no doubt that she would not survive.  
  
"Stupid..." The woman's murmur was barely audible over the licking water. Blood slowly trickled from the line of her brow to drip into the wetness.  
  
"I was so stupid."  
  
Every breath hitched in the shallows of her swollen throat, forcing a shuddering exhale from her cracked lips. The bulge her wind-pipe adorned was thick within her, raw from the freezing air.  
  
"Why..." she whispered. "Why do I have to be such an idiot?"  
  
Only the breeze answered. She couldn't see the shifting leaves nor the bending grass, a sight that would have been a simple bliss on its own. No... But, she could hear the trees whispering, talking as the air moved about them. For only a tiny trickle of moonlight from the hole far above her was her light in all the darkness.  
  
And still it wasn't enough.  
  
The moonlight glimmered weakly down. It illuminated her in a dazed glow, her body looking angelic in a crude, misshapen way. Juuhachi's lower back rested lazily on the soggy bottom of this strange hidden sanctuary, the rest of her body buoyant in the shallow liquid.  
  
A fallen angel....A fallen....  
  
"Krillen..."  
  
All alone in the depths of the forest. Or at least she "believed" she was in the depths of the forest. Though no trees surrounded her, all still far above from where she'd fallen into this dark abode, she could remember an endless surrounding of the leafy forms. Sounds of crunching twigs beneath her pounding feet...  
  
There was no one to reach out and touch, no one to come to the rescue. Only her conscience was there to whisper accusations in the back of her fading mind.  
  
(All your fault...your fault...all your fault) over and over and over again, repeating itself like a never ending, bitter song.  
  
(If you hadn't been so quick to let everything go...Everything you've worked for....)  
  
Her silence remained.  
  
(Your fault...your fault...your fault...your-)  
  
"I want to go home..." Juuhachi's words were barely a shudder on her puffy, blue lips. Her nearly silent whine could not even echo in the endless black around her.  
  
(Everything you love...everything you love...love...)  
  
"I know I don't love him anymore...anymore...," Juuhachi murmured, shifting her pained eyes to try and penetrate the forever night. But, the darkness was truly impenetrable. Once again, the familiar tightness in her throat grew strong. It threatened to choke her to her demise right then and there, building inside of her with every soft breath she took.  
  
The voice was quiet, yet it didn't have to speak for the remainder of the message to be known. Whether it was her own dwelling insanity or her conscience inside, she could hear the faint words continuing elsewhere. They began to beat slowly with her heart....emerging from deep within. The words ran their fevered hands over her numb body. Questioning her...Repeating painful truths...  
  
She could barely stop herself before she found her own lips moving along with every delayed thud of her cold heart.  
  
"What about Krillen?" Her eyes squinted as fresh tears formed when the familiar face glimmered in the back of her mind.  
  
Something unseen bade her to continue...  
  
"What about dear, old Krillen? What about Marron? What about me?"  
  
A strange last splurge of strength shook from her exhausted form, her voice growing louder and louder.  
  
"What about Bulma, Chichi and Gohan! What about Goku! Juunana! Juunana...What is my brother to think of me?"  
  
She unsuccessfully tried to blink back a few glimmering tears. They fell anyway, streaking down from the corners of her eyes.  
  
"Disgusted...Even I'm disgusted..."  
  
(Love.)  
  
Juuhachi splashed the silent waters with a weak fist in rage, shaking her head in disdain at her own thoughts.  
  
"I DON'T LOVE HIM! I DON'T! I DON'T! I DON'T!" Each splash synchronized with every cry brought drops of crud and water rippling about her. It dirtied her pitiful body even more.  
  
Her cries were soon dead anyway. They quickly returned to a wheeze upon her lips.  
  
"I don't...I don't...I...I..."  
  
Suddenly the horrible urge for everything to finally be over and done with, for Juhachi to close her eyes and softly fade away, was clear. She wanted the waters to swallow her whole. She wanted them to deliver her into death- --end the agony.  
  
She wanted to die with each spark of pain and memories that flickered in her crazed mind.  
  
"I don't want to love him anymore...."  
  
A sigh escaped her.  
  
"I just want to die..."  
  
However, Death was not to be so kind. It did not want to give out mercy yet, rather, let her remain for a few more moments. It still held her down in her place as much as her guilty conscience.  
  
(Guilt...guilt...guilt...) The voice continued, full-motion, feeding on every emotion inside of her.  
  
She wanted it to end so badly.  
  
"Poor Krillen...I never should have...I'm so sorry Krillen. I'm so sorry..."  
  
The little "mop-top" would never hear her tired cries again as she woed only to him. Never hear her soft laugh. Never see her beauty ever again. She was going to leave this Earth without him at her side.  
  
Well...she was almost glad for that. Juuhachi wanted to wallow in the drowns of her shame alone. Krillen was best not finding her anyway.  
  
But, they'd have to find her eventually...the body...  
  
Juuhachi deliberately forced her trembling mind off of the subject. She didn't want to die with the image of her husband's face when he received the fatal the news. The look of utter turmoil. The forever branded emotion of depression in his eyes.  
  
Maybe they'd never find her.  
  
She hoped they'd never find her.  
  
Swollen lids began to flutter in the bitter cold of the night. With a strange, forlorn bliss, Juhachi felt the sensation of sleep claw a little more deeply into her mind. There was that same beckoning voice, motioning with dark listless hands for her to follow it down the curved, ebony path. Death was finally saying that it was time to let it all go. It was time...  
  
She was ready...She wanted to let go...she wanted...to...  
  
No...Wait...No!  
  
Without warning, Juuhachi's body arched unnaturally in the midst of the dirty water. Her back forcefully slammed away from the soggy bottom with a desperation like no other. Splashing back down with force, her lips opened. Yet, no cry emerged from her swollen throat. Only a sputtering whine was made as she feverishly tried to push the darkness away.  
  
She wasn't ready. It wasn't worth it!  
  
It chose to dig its monstrous claws into her soul even deeper than before.  
  
Juuhachi could feel moments of her short life flashing in the backs of her eyes; rolling and rolling over and over again like a never ending slide- show. Pictures of her and Krillen together, pictures of Marron taking her first steps...pictures of everything she was throwing away with each convulsion that passed within her trembling body.  
  
Why had she thrown it all away like this? Why?  
  
Her body was more than ready to fade away, to let go of the last dazzling spark writhing within her core. It wanted to let go of all the pain and numbness all together. It wanted to give up. But, her mind still clung...still held onto something jagged, tiny and nearly insignificant. A bitter wisp of misery? A last will to live?  
  
A wish to say "goodbye"?  
  
"K-Krill-lllen...,"she moaned, her body trembling weakly in her fight. "I'm so...s-so sorry! I'm s-so, s-so..." Words choked in the bulge of her throat, only allowing the faintest, weak screech bellow out and fade away. "I d-didn't m-m-mean to...I didn't...I didn't..."  
  
A sudden calm overwhelmed her. The android's back moved to rest once again on the shallow bottom of the pit, her muscles relaxed. She couldn't even feel the sogginess of the dirt and weed debris through her clothes anymore.  
  
"I'm...I-I'm...s-...sor-..."  
  
A shuddering inhale brought a last breath of air to her lips before everything faded. Her once shining eyes, now dull and blunt, grew glazed. Fear escaped her and a calmness emersed her form. Staring above, the twinkling stars winking just as calmly back, her eyes closed. Yet, small insignificant words still dribbled from her tongue. Words of apology. Words describing nothing at all, but the oncoming darkness.  
  
"Vegeta..." she muttered. And then, the last moment came. Slowly wandering away from the encasing shell that had once been her body, Juuhachi went completely limp.  
  
That one simple name wavered in the air for moments after...a name that had meant everything to her...  
  
A name that told her whole story. 


	2. Kiss Your Love Goodbye (1)

RATING: PG-13  
  
PART: part 1/unkown chapters  
  
PAIRING: Krillen and #18, Bulma and Vegeta, and Vegeta and #18  
  
CHAPTER WARNING: None  
  
DISCLAIMER: All Dragonball GT characters belong to Akira Toriyama and the producers of Dragonball GT. I do not own any of the characters, or anything to do with the characters. Blah, blah, blah...You get the point.  
  
Note: Once again, Juuhachi= #18. Lyrics are from Brian McKnight's "Kiss Your Love Good-bye".  
  
  
  
(Tell, tell me it isn't so  
  
You say you have your reasons for leaving  
  
You have to go  
  
I watch you turn, turn and walk away  
  
And I'm searching to find the right words to say  
  
Hoping and praying you'd stay  
  
So I'll kiss your love goodbye  
  
I guess it wasn't meant to be  
  
I gave my all, you've tried  
  
And now I see  
  
That love caught my eye  
  
I went blind  
  
And now it makes me cry  
  
The only thing I can do, is kiss your love goodbye)  
  
(Good-bye)  
  
Darkness...darkness...Death.  
  
Simple words upon a still tongue. Empty hollow sounds emerging from a closed throat. Silence.  
  
What was this inconceivable darkness? Not a single twinkling glow from above in all of this emptiness, not even a glimmer, nor spark. Where was the renowned light that was so often spoken of? Where?  
  
Where were her angels?  
  
She knew none of that was to be, however. Who other than her deserved the forever dark for her horrible sins? No light, no warmth, no stars in her sky...simply nothing. Yes, she had welcomed her sins long ago and now she was to live the consequences.  
  
She had known...  
  
(Juu-chan?)  
  
Still-  
  
She had let go.  
  
(Honey?)  
  
Maybe death was not forever. Maybe someday...  
  
(BAM BAM BAM! Honey?)  
  
She would. Just. Wake. Up.  
  
(Juuhachi?)  
  
Maybe.  
  
(Juuhachi!)  
  
Ocean eyes tore open in one startling gasp. Air rushed into her lungs as if she'd gone an eternity without a breath on her trembling lips. She gave a few shuddering coughs, taking in the sweet oxygen with her tender, thick throat.  
  
Sunlight from the closed sliding glass doors streamed in like wildfire and lit up the room with brilliancy. Juuhachi was forced to squint into the radiance. She brought up a shaking hand to shade her painfully wide pupils. The immense shock ran through her body and back again, forcing a jolt of electricity down her spine until she sat upright in the queen-sized bed.  
  
"N-Nani? What..." Eyes closed against the painful blaze. One hand still outstretched to block the light from hitting her face; she bent feebly over the silken bed blankets to bring her other hand to her sweat covered forehead. Perspiration dotted her fingertips with salty moisture.  
  
"What was...?" She continued to stare at the soft tips, trying to extend her mind back, to remember. Memories were like little shards of broken glass, images faded upon their scuffed surfaces.  
  
She couldn't...  
  
(Shattered. Shattered.)  
  
A soft creak to her right signaled the android to another person in the room. She turned her aching head towards the sound, coming eye to eye with a familiar peeking form. Krillen stood there, holding the sturdy door open a crack and staring in at her with blinking eyes.  
  
"Juu-chan?"  
  
She stared back, words not daring to form upon her lips. Silence commanded her mind as she regarded his stalky form, taking in the black hair, ebony eyes and spring clothes upon his diminutive body. He simply stood in place, staring back.  
  
"It's, uh.time to get up."  
  
Juuhachi blinked. "What time is it?" she questioned, half-heartedly. The android observed him glance towards his wristwatch almost nervously before he looked back up and answered faithfully:  
  
"11:00."  
  
Juuhachi paused, startled by how late it was. She never, EVER slept so deep into the morning. Bringing her hand back to her forehead, she felt again. A slight, fervent heat touched her fingers, but nothing overwhelmingly obvious. No, she wasn't sick.  
  
But, this was so abnormal. Every morning, 5:00 as usual, she was out of bed, beginning the day. She had never missed a sunrise nor missed a sunset yet during her time alive; she had made sure of it. Nevertheless-and she scowled to herself, leaning her head into the cradle of her hands-all her formal rituals seemed to have been forgotten. 11:00? No.That just could not be.  
  
"Krillen-kun? Are you sure?"  
  
He nodded, his ebony locks bouncing upon his head. "Positive." The warrior took a cautious step forwards into the bedroom, frowning at her curled form.  
  
"Are you all right? You don't look too well."  
  
Juuhachi's frown was still evident, though her face was hidden from his on looking gaze. Clenching her eyes against the weak pounding on the back of her skull, she dropped her hands and stared towards the bedroom windows. A clear view of the back yard and the neighbor's house met her sight.  
  
"I'm fine. Just a bad dream."  
  
"Really?" He took another brave step forwards. "What about?"  
  
She frowned even deeper, scowling towards the grass and trees beyond her reach. The songs of birds whispered past the thick glass to fill the room with a soft, beautiful music. However, it did not aid her oncoming mood.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"Come on. Tell me a bit of it." Krillen jutted a finger at his chest. "I'm pretty good at deciphering dreams. Sometimes they'll even tell you a bit of your future."  
  
Fists clenched in the ruffled bed sheets. "I don't remember it all right?" Her rough tone forced Krillen a pace back, bringing him one away from the door.  
  
"O.K. Gomen."  
  
Looking back over to her nervous husband, Juuhachi gave an ominous sigh. The banging in her head was horribly frequent and annoying, colorful spots dancing in her vision with every throb. Her head hurt, her eyes hurt, and her stomach was twisting and turning within her. However, the look on her husband's face was enough to quell the harsh words upon her tongue.  
  
"I.Just go downstairs. I'll be down in a while."  
  
"All right.If you're sure you're O.K."  
  
She nodded, though sweat dribbled down the back of her neck.  
  
Krillen moved to saunter out of the bedroom, the door trailing shut behind him. Yet, he barely made it a foot away from the barrier before he swung it back wide open and looked back in. He tried to give a warm smile to his wife.  
  
"I forgot to say, Chichi called."  
  
Juuhachi raised her blond eyebrows. "And?"  
  
"And she said that she would appreciate if you would bring something later this afternoon. Salad and stuff would be O.K, but sandwiches would be better." He disappeared from the doorway again.  
  
"Oh." Only his eyes were visible around the oak border of the doorway. "And you'd better hurry up; we're supposed to be there in an hour and a half. Plus" and he oddly winked at her with a hidden smile on his face, "I've got a surprise for you downstairs."  
  
The android merely stared as the minature warrior fully disappeared, the thudding of feet on the stairs clear. A look of pure disbelief was strewn across her face.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Later, downstairs, now clothed in the only thing she could find suitable enough in her closet, Juuhachi stepped off the short spiral stairs. Her soft socks touched down against the slippery hardwood floor. One hand still placed on the railing, she stared to her right and into the living room, scanning the vicinity in the morning air. Carpeted floor, couch, television.The living room looked as normal as ever. Nothing was out of place.  
  
With an exception.  
  
Something small and blue lay smack center in the middle of the floor. Marron's, obviously, and nothing to be bothered about. However, the misplaced plushy seemed to hold Juuhachi's gaze for more than a moment. Its glazed eyes looked nowhere in particular, a long, blue rat's snout sticking out between them. Two little fabric teeth stuck out where the lips should have been, square and soft. Such a cute little toy, an item that, though Marron was already in her teens, was unable to give up.  
  
It just lay there on its back in the middle of the floor. Unmoving.  
  
Wandering over with the soft carpet beneath her socked feet, Juuhachi sighed and stared down at the little animal. It continued to gaze into emptiness with its dead eyes. Bending over, the android gingerly picked up the soft toy and looked down at it in her hands. She did not understand why Marron would want to hold on to such a worthless object. The teenager was more than mature enough to discard such children's playthings.  
  
"I would never keep such a horribly ugly thing," Juuhachi murmured only to herself.  
  
CRASH!  
  
Immediately, she swung around, pulling her gaze away. The sudden sound of breaking plates was everywhere. It shattered through the living room and right past her ears, making her shudder at the realization that Krillen was in the kitchen. She dropped the rat and hurried out of the room.  
  
"Krillen, what's going on in-...?" Juuhachi instantly froze. A gasp, which could only have been from her lips, was suddenly in the air as she came eye to eye with the sight that lay before her.  
  
"KRILLEN!"  
  
Krillen looked up from his bent position. Glass debris, some in his hands, was strewn across the kitchen floor. Seven or eight plates had been demolished, for Juuhachi could not even step down onto the kitchen floor before her foot would meet with the sharp mess. Of course, Krillen stood in the midst of his clean up, attempting to give Juuhachi a smile over his obvious guilt.  
  
The broken plates would not have overly bothered Juuhachi. She would have simply ordered Krillen to pick every fragment from the hardwood floor until it was spotless all over again, not even a sharp sliver remaining. However, the mess upon the floor was not all that had caught her eye when she entered the room.  
  
"The.the counters."  
  
Pancake mix.everywhere. On the cupboards, on the counters and dripping onto the wood floor.There were bowls strewn on the dining table, spoons sticking out of their sticky contents. An open package of bacon lay in the middle of the table with a few strips of pork falling out of the plastic.  
  
"Juu-chan!" he started, standing up with armfuls of glass. "You got dressed fast!"  
  
"A little too fast for you, it seems," she snarled. "What the hell happened in here?"  
  
"I thought.that before you woke up," he stuttered, cringing as he spoke, "I'd make you breakfast."  
  
A small vein began to beat its tempo above her left eye. The thudding added to the pain in her head. Her eyes closed and a shuddering exhale escaped her lips.  
  
"K-k...K..."  
  
Krillen took the moment to glance around the room himself. "Uh...Gomen nasai about the plates. I...They kind of slipped."  
  
"Nnnn..." Her teeth were so clenched together she could feel their coarse edges grinding.  
  
"B-But." He swung around, dropping the shards in his hands onto the more than covered counter. Hopping over what he could manage he bound over to the large, metallic stove and clutched two equally dirty oven mitts in his hands. The small warrior swung open the stove door with a blooming smile on his face.  
  
Trails of smoke billowed out.  
  
"Krillen."  
  
Pancakes. A full tray of them. He stood there, looking over at her with this ridiculous smile plastered to his face, a tray of pancakes in his mitten covered hands. They sizzled with a strange hiss, sputtering grease and bits of grit in her direction.  
  
Pancakes.  
  
Pancake mix.  
  
"We don't usually have things like this for breakfast, so I thought you'd enjoy it."  
  
Everywhere.  
  
Mess.  
  
Headache.  
  
(Pain.)  
  
The smile he possessed began to wither. His wife's silence seemed awkward as her eyes took another trail about the room and rested back on him. No hint of a smile even peeked upon her lips; only a thin line for a mouth trembled ever so slightly upon her face.  
  
Headache.  
  
She thought her head was going to explode any moment. Each dull thud made her eyes twitch with silent emotion. Not a word.not a single word. Simply silence.  
  
(Silence.)  
  
"Juu-chan?" he whispered, watching the skin below her eye lightly twitch.  
  
"Juu?"  
  
Twitch.twitch.twitch.  
  
Krillen looked so innocent standing there. A specially made meal just for his wife, the look on his face like a child who had made a wonderful breakfast for his mother. His expression was more than adorable. Eyes waited, wide, for his wife's reaction, any reaction.  
  
But, Juuhachi was not in the mood for childish emotions. The look upon her husbands face, the mess within her traveling gaze.the broken dishes upon the floor.and those pancakes. Those damn infernal pancakes.  
  
"Krillen, you fool!" she cried in fury.  
  
"What the hell have you done?"  
  
The shock reflected was startling, more startling than her sudden outburst. He nearly dropped the pan to the floor, but caught it at the last moment. Shuddering with surprise, he stepped backwards, his slippers crunching down on leftover shards.  
  
"N-Nani?"  
  
"This mess.this kitchen! I wake up with a splitting headache, nearly afternoon, and this is what I get to see first thing in the morning? What the bloody hell were you thinking?!"  
  
"I."  
  
Her breathing was harsh, her lungs screaming for air. Little black spots began to dance in her vision.  
  
"Have you not noticed the mess you've made? It's like a tornado hit in here, and it's me that's going to have to clean it up! I.I.!"  
  
The android clutched her head harder.  
  
"I."  
  
"Juuhachi-kun!" Krillen cried as he watched her slightly slump. Her body read pure exhaustion, every muscle fatigued with the stress of the morning. "Juu-chan?"  
  
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" she screamed, shocked at the velocity of her own voice. Krillen's face instantly fell into a pool of hurt. His little eyes glinted with pain and his mouth quivered ever so slightly. He wasn't going to cry, but his expression made it seem like he was damn close. Juuhachi instantly felt regret well up in the pit of her beating heart.  
  
(Pain.)  
  
"Unnn," she murmured, feeling the swelling agony slowly fade away. It returned to its dull tempo in the back of her mind, its beat never ending. "Krillen." She sighed.  
  
"Don't.call me that, all right? I don't like that name. It's Juuhachi, and you know it."  
  
Her voice was soft against the cold abrasion left on Krillen's heart, but it didn't cool the searing wound inside of him. A slight flame flickered slowly in the bottom of his soul, tasting the foreign emotions of depression and hurt.  
  
"I.you.,"she whispered, ending in another sigh. "Gomen, Krillen. I'm just having a really bad day." A socked foot lifted to step upon the sodden floor. "I'll help you clean up."  
  
"No."  
  
Blinking, caught by his blank words, she stopped her descent into the kitchen.  
  
"No. I can do it myself."  
  
He looked at her, then turned away, placing the hot pan on the counter. The sounds of crunching ensued, pieces of glass still strewn on the surfaces.  
  
"Krillen."  
  
"No, that's all right, Juuhachi. I'm perfectly capable. It's all my fault anyway."  
  
He glanced back momentarily over the bump of his shoulder. "I should be the one saying gomen. Really."  
  
A pathetique feeling slithered in her gut, its heavy deepness soon squirming through every part of her. Juuhachi watched Krillen begin to pick up the bits and pieces of his "to be", or rather."was" gracious gift, moving with a deliberate slowness.  
  
"By the way, I don't think we should bring anything to the picnic at Hanami. Chichi should have enough if she's going to be trying to feed so many saiyans. Don't you think so?"  
  
"Picnic?" she uttered, loud enough only for her ears.  
  
"So don't worry about the food."  
  
Juuhachi searched her withering mind for answers. A picnic, since when had she ever.Juuhachi glared at the floor, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. She had never.  
  
Hanami?  
  
She didn't even realize Krillen had turned back around. He stared at her with shadowed pupils.  
  
"You didn't forget did you? We've been talking about it all week."  
  
"N-Nani? No! No.Of course I didn't forget," she bluntly lied. "It's just.just the headache getting in the way again."  
  
Krillen pointed to the cabinet to his right, handfuls of the mess in his arms. "Advil's at the back. You might want to take it with you." He tried to smile feebly.  
  
Juuhachi gave her own tiny smile back, all she could manage at the moment. She watched him shuffle to the garbage can and drop the sharp contents in. Then she slowly wandered herself over to the cabinet, avoiding the glass, and juggled around until she found the medication. It was doubtful it would be enough, but it was worth a try. She felt like her head was going to explode.  
  
"Arigato.," she uttered quietly. Krillen didn't reply.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Back outside the kitchen, Juuhachi leaned depressively against the wall, inhaling bitter air. She raised the Advil bottle to her eyes and stared. Opening the top, she popped back six.  
  
The android could still hear her husband bustling around. She had never felt so horrible about such hateful words in her life, until she'd seen the look on his face. Juuhachi could not believe how badly she had lost control. So unlike her.  
  
"Damn this headache," she muttered, acidly. Then she popped another three.  
  
A sudden click and a droning creak sounded from back in the kitchen. Feet padded against the hardwood floor before a voice beckoned out.  
  
"Hey dad! Is mom up yet?"  
  
Juuhachi cringed, hidden from any peering eyes. Marron.  
  
"Ooh, pancakes! Can I have one? Mmm.smells nice in here."  
  
Krillen must have nodded, for Marron was quiet for a minute.  
  
"Arigato, Tousan. Ah.I see you broke some of Okasan's plates.Mm.Let me help."  
  
"No, no, Marron-chan. I don't want you to cut yourself."  
  
Marron paused, taking in her dad's heart-fallen expression. Her own blond eyebrows quirked with recognition.  
  
"You don't look to good, Tousan. Are you all right? Where IS Okasan?"  
  
"."  
  
"Tousan?"  
  
"She's.still getting ready."  
  
"Ah."  
  
"."  
  
"**sigh**"  
  
"Did she like the pancakes?"  
  
"Mmm.yah, sure. She did."  
  
"Are you sure you're all right, Tousan?"  
  
Krillen laughed, thankful for his daughter's forward concern. He stood and gave her his warmest grin.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
".Is Okasan all right?"  
  
A pause. And then, "She's a little upset."  
  
"Really? Wow.what happened? Did the mess get to her? I'll help you clean that up too, Tousan."  
  
Looking up at his teenaged daughter, his eyes fill with a slight pity for himself. Nevertheless, he hid their pain's with another reassuring smile.  
  
"Nothing.She's just.having a bad day."  
  
Juuhachi closed her eyes, hearing her own words repeated to her daughter. A bad day? More like a nightmare. Not wanting to hear anymore, she pushed her thin body away from the hard wall and began to slowly trail back down the hall and towards the stairs. But--and she halted just before she pulled herself up to the first step--something made her stop.  
  
That stuffed rat...  
  
Now on its side from when she dropped it, its soft, navy blue body caught her weary eye again. The thing...animal seemed just as dead and just as forlorn as when she'd first picked it up.  
  
Closing her eyes against the wave of pain in her head, she turned away. She didn't have time to be thinking about children's toys. She'd remind Marron to pick it up later.  
  
(Dead.)  
  
Yes, later.after she finished getting ready for this so called picnic...Hanami...whatever the hell Krillen had called it. Slithering up the stairs as quietly as possible, she disappeared from view, trying to ignore the endless headache she endured.  
  
It still stared, motionless, in her direction, it's marble-like eyes glistening in the sunlight from the living room windows. If Juuhachi had stopped her ascent of the stairs and taken one final look back, just one, she would have swore she saw something in those ugly little spheres. Maybe a flicker of life or a reflection from the sun.either way, it seemed to watch her slump up the long stairs with a bow in her neck and a pained expression on her face. Knowing.Feeling.Believing.  
  
Understanding... 


	3. Kiss Your Love Goodbye (2)

RATING: PG-13  
  
PART: part 2/unkown chapters  
  
PAIRING: Vegeta and #18  
  
WARNING: Swearing  
  
DISCLAIMER: All Dragonball GT characters belong to Akira Toriyama and the producers of Dragonball GT. I do not own any of the characters, or anything to do with the characters. Blah, blah, blah...You get the point.  
  
Note: Juuhachi= #18, Onna= woman, Tousan= dad, Okasan= mom, etc...you prolly know all that already. :P  
  
  
  
Glimmering sunshine streaked down upon the family picnic, glistening in the dew while the spring breeze lazed about the cherry blossom trees. Voices of many a family bounced in the midst of the grassy park with a strong declaration for the beautiful season.  
  
Off in a corner, the moody prince sat without sound. Grounded with a haughty frown, he did not move, shadowed away from the rest of the scene.  
  
"Go long, Goten!"  
  
A young, laughing call broke into the sounds of the surroundings. The teenaged owner chucked a spinning Frisbee through the air, the toy whirling with a sharp buzz at its magnificent speed. It flew over the grass, but was suddenly clamped onto between a set of jaws.  
  
The two boys burst into hysterical laughter when Goten eventually landed on all wobbly fours. The orange Frisbee protruded awkwardly from his trembling lips as he tried desperately to keep his hilarious composure.  
  
"All right, Goten-chan!"  
  
"Disgusting..." The soft murmur was barely a flutter in the wind, belonging to neither teen.  
  
"Turunksu! I told you to stop making Goten play fetch and come have some lunch!" A familiar voice, scolding and serious, halted their playful actions. There Bulma stood by the picnic blanket, it's pale color centered with a massive picnic basket. A disapproving frown wallowed upon her dazzling face while she merely dared the teens to continue their gallivanting. As well, backing up the blue haired Onna's scold, was an unsurprisingly, just as annoyed Chichi, who stood cross-armed by her side.  
  
"Goten, get over here!"  
  
The boys could merely sigh with a familiar annoyance. As usual, their fun was ruined before it even began. But, disobedience was an undesirable option when it came to their mothers. Spitting out the orange Frisbee and with one last look to the other, they brushed themselves casually off, sauntering up to the picnic area with a pout in every step.  
  
He merely watched the boys sulk away, frowning at their poor display of maturity. Such a powerful bloodline, but so little show of it. It was almost depressing to see potential like that going to waste at outings...like these.  
  
"Vegeta-kun! You too!" The man cringed in the depths of his shadowy corner, holding down the surge of rage that followed her shrill voice. "Better hurry before Gokou eats it all!"  
  
The haughty saiyan prince raised the bottomless blacks in seas of white he possessed for eyes. With a half-heated squint into the noon sun and past other moving bodies, he could make out the Onna's ushering form. She waved her frail arms in the cool air with a beckon for him to come join.  
  
The familiar urge to close his eyes and ignore the annoyance rose up in the back of his furrowing mind. It was a hope that she'd get the message and leave him be, alone in his little corner of the world. But, and from time to time, he did forget...he needed to remember exactly who he was dealing with.  
  
"Vegeta!"  
  
"What!?" he snapped, uncrossing his sinewy arms to smack his thick fists on the fertile ground. "Can I not have a moment of peace without you disturbing me once?"  
  
The woman took a step away from the picnic basket and a step closer to him. She glared across the grassy void to where he sat against the tree.  
  
"No! Now come and get some lunch! Either that or go hungry until supper, because Gokou's not going to be leaving any leftovers!"  
  
A growl and an "Aw man, Chichi, this is great!" from behind, supplied Bulma's case.  
  
Vegeta frowned even harder into the sun as he contemplated. However, and as usual, his stomach won the futile battle, forcing him to drag himself up from his spot with a grunt and a groan. Murmurs of, "Stupid Kakarotto..." left his lips all the way to his now smiling wife's side.  
  
"You're a pig, Kakarotto," he finished, plopping down onto the warm material beside the famished saiyan. Little bits of food flew freely in all directions, forcing Vegeta to wonder if he would end up wearing most of the baka saiyan's gluttonous binge.  
  
"Hey, Tousan!" Trunks blurted quickly around the chicken thigh he hungrily ravaged.  
  
"Hey, Vegeta-sama," Goten mimicked.  
  
"Hn..."  
  
A glance at the teen boys and then around the circle of friends (none of which his, of course) brought the saiyan prince eye to eye with the whole group of human half-wits. Of course, it included Kakarotto's and his own saiyan kin, as well as--and he had to snort with disgust when he caught the gaze of the humanly dressed, Namekian--Piccolo meditating at a distance by a clutter of trees. Piccolo looked down upon the hungry families, emotionless.  
  
They were all here...  
  
Dragged together by the forces of feminine persuasion once again. Bulma and Chichi had obviously been the ones to put this whole 'mistake' of an outing together. Hanami-the spring viewing of the new cherry blossoms in a family park, a little bit of food here and there, and...What did Bulma call it again?  
  
Yes, a festival, that's what it was, something supposedly new to the celebration. Down, beyond the trees and shrubs, rising up from the Earth like a strange, freakish part of nature, it stood. Vegeta could faintly hear the music droning somewhere in the background, it's chime bringing on a dull headache to the saiyan's head.  
  
Kami-sama, what a cheap waste of time.  
  
The women had so insisted, stating that it was to be an interesting experience. Bulma herself had specifically said that the trip would be a great chance for bonding, being out in the sunshine together, the blossoms sprouting and blooming upon the trees. Vegeta could practically feel the shudder welling up in his spine, remembering her utter the word 'bond'. A man and woman bonded...not a whole bloody group of weak lowlifes!  
  
He had no idea why he'd let that baka Onna drag him into this. Every single damn time...  
  
Looking back at the picnic basket filled with food--one of many in the park- -and then back around to all the feeders, Vegeta sighed inwardly. He grabbed a protruding chicken leg gingerly and began to scarf the fowl down as mannerly as he could manage. Or, at least a little more mannerly than he could say for the saiyan beside him.  
  
Well, at least the chicken was good...  
  
"Gokou, slow down when you eat, you're going to choke!" Chichi suddenly piped up, scolding as she wiped at Gokou's lips with her paper napkin. "Besides, you're making a mess!"  
  
"Chichi!" the saiyan whined. He pushed away her busy hand. "Stop babying me, would you? I'm a grown man! Let me eat!"  
  
Bulma snickered across the table, getting a soft glare from the protesting Gokou. She lowered her fork and, in turn, chuckled at the ebony-haired wife. "Chichi, let the poor man be. The whole reason we're out here is to relax. Take a break from playing mommy for a while."  
  
Chichi sighed. "Bulma, I don't think anyone will be relaxing if this big awful brute starts sputtering chicken left and right! I know I can't relax when he's stuffing himself like that!"  
  
Gokou rolled his eyes, ramming another meaty leg into his already full mouth. "I'mf nof gonna choke, fokay?" he burbled, swallowing with a loud "GOLP!" and turning to the silent saiyan prince at his side. "Our women worry too much, ne, Geta-chan?" Gokou laughed. He forcefully nudged the form beside him.  
  
Vegeta shoved the muscled arm away and grunted with a shuffle down the bench. "Get the fuck away from me, idiot."  
  
"Hey, you! Watch that language!" Chichi blurted out of no where, startling Vegeta momentarily. "You may be able to say things like that at home, but not here! I suggest you still that tongue!"  
  
Instantly, he was angry and on the defense. Vegeta readily opened his mouth to send a couple more artistic words of profanity her way, but instead a steady hand on his shoulder from Gokou halted his actions.  
  
"Hey, come on, you guys. Like Bulma said, we're here to enjoy ourselves. Let's not start any cat-fights yet, all right?" Gokou winked humorously at the saiyan prince, desperately trying to share a smile. "Come on...Vegeta?"  
  
"I wouldn't bother, Gokou. You know Vegeta's going to be an ass until he ruins something. I'm surprised he hasn't blasted this whole park into oblivion already."  
  
Everyone glanced around from face to face, only to shuffle around and turn to stare beyond the group. The calm feminine voice picked up again, a haughty mock hidden in the tone.  
  
"Isn't that right, Vegeta?"  
  
Vegeta glared with a scowl so strong it could have lit the air around him into a fiery blaze. Slowly, step by step, he watched the female form stalk into view, a child by her side and a stout man behind. He put down his chicken piece onto his napkin and crossed his arms with a daring glare, staring into those devilish eyes.  
  
"Well, well...even the slut android is here to join the fun. I hope you brought your thong, you bitch, because the entertainment here sucks."  
  
Juuhachi cringed and snarled, bringing up a shaking fist. But, before she could blurt back a remark, another voice piped up behind her.  
  
"Hey, Gokou! Yaumcha! Gohan! Good to see you guys!" Fully ignoring the clash of attitudes moments before, they all shared an enthusiastic greeting or two. Waving and shouting, expressions of gladness to finally have the old gang together again, were passed back and forth.  
  
"Kurillin-chan! Hey man, you finally made it!"  
  
More welcoming words followed quickly. Nevertheless, a scalding line of gaze still held between the saiyan prince and the android. It slowly broke only as Vegeta smirked at the angry Juuhachi and turned back to stuff another leg in his hungry mouth. He fully ignored the "baka no midget" and tried to scarf what he could before Kakarotto remembered the meal.  
  
"Good to see you, Marron! Juuhachi, why don't you take a seat? Did you all bring anything? No? Aw, well, grab some grub! There's already plenty enough to feed 15 saiyans," Bulma joked with a pat to Vegeta on the back. "Or, at least 7!"  
  
Brushing back a lock of blond hair, Juuhachi nodded to her old friend. She wandered up to the picnic blanket to look down on all the smiling faces, though she herself felt a little faded inside. Krillen squished himself into the circle to be seated beside Yaumcha. The small man passed a slap of the hands and a nod in recognition of his old friend. Marron slid in between Bura and Pan, instantly diving head first into conversation. Still, Juuhachi stood behind, gazing roughly at all the happy grins and chewing mouths.  
  
Her stomach churned once, sickening and painfully.  
  
Vegeta watched her from the corner of his vision, trying to focus slightly on the food before him. He was a little confused. He had expected to see the usual vibrant, stuck-up Juuhachi. One that was always witty and ready to land a fatal verbal blow on the saiyan prince without hesitation. Well, she'd obviously begun the meeting accordingly. But, for some odd reason, she seemed...different now, worn even. Juuhachi's hair hung limply and lifelessly around her pale face. Her clothes seemed to barely cling to her body. Her expression was as empty as empty could be with a hint of depression in the tiny corner of her ocean-like eye. The emotion twinkled on and off with every slow blink she took.  
  
The real face behind the mask? She was never this distant.  
  
She even seemed a little crude. Definitely worn...like she'd spent an eternity without sleep.  
  
Vegeta didn't realize he was staring until he suddenly found himself gazing into pure blue. Juuhachi lifted the corner of her thin lip in a snarl meant just for him, daring him to keep on his rude staring. The prince only blinked and snarl back with an equal annoyance. He took a huge, dark chunk out of his chicken leg, still glaring at her from the corner of his eye, imagining he was taking a chuck out of a certain blond instead.  
  
"Juu-chan? You O.K?"  
  
The android cringed inwardly as she always did when anyone chose to use that ridiculous name. Bulma looked down the picnic table, an expression of concern plastered to her beautiful face. "Aren't you going to sit down?"  
  
She chewed on her answer a bit before murmuring, "I'm not very hungry...I think...I think I'll just go sit down in the grass for a while."  
  
"Oh," Bulma mouthed, a little a taken back. Chichi broke from her conversation with Videl and Gohan to look at Bulma, then Juuhachi, confused.  
  
"Well, hon, if you're sure."  
  
"I'm sure," Juuhachi smiled weakly. She glanced back at a now staring Krillen before she wandered away, walking around laughing children and sitting couples upon the ground. As she shuffled along the grass there was little composure to her tired body.  
  
"Is she all right, Krillen?" Chichi whispered, not even turning away from the android's retreating form as she spoke. "She looks a little down."  
  
Krillen sighed as flashbacks of the morning ran clear through his own tired mind. "Yah...yah, she's fine. I think she's just having a bad day, that's all." He watched his wife drop down in front of a large group of cherry blossom trees a little in the distance. The android shifted around until she faced away from the picnic. Krillen narrowed his eyes as she leaned against the cool bark, only a little of her visible around the trunks. "Just a bad day...," he repeated.  
  
Chichi couldn't tell if his words were reassurance to her or himself.  
  
The small man turned back, a smile re-plastered in place. He heartily passed a joke to Yaumcha about how strange Earth woman were getting now a day. Somehow, Juuhachi was going to be the death of him. Yaumcha laughed in reply, defending off a scolding hand from Chichi.  
  
However, Vegeta remained silent as he gazed questioningly in the android's direction. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but it definitely didn't read normal in his books.  
  
"Okasan, can Goten and I be excused? We wanted to go play some more Frisbee and maybe head down to the games already." Bulma looked down at her teenaged son, an eyebrow slowly rising.  
  
"What? Already? There's still plenty of food left. Sandwiches...cake...Come on, chow down, boys!"  
  
Trunks grinned sheepishly. "Aw, mom, we're bored AND stuffed! Please!" Goten murmured in agreement beside the pleading boy.  
  
"Ugh..." Resting her blue stranded head in her hands, Bulma laughed. "You boys are more childish than Gokou at times. Fine, go ahead."  
  
"But...," Chichi piped," have a little dignity this time, won't you?" She looked up at Goten with a half smirk, something a little uncharacteristic of her.  
  
Someone snorted in the background.  
  
"You know, Okasan?" Bura broke in as the boys happily bounded away. The two older teens had begun to roughhouse where the hill that the eating took place upon began to ascend. The festival was far below. "I think Marron, Pan and I are going to go sit somewhere else for awhile. You know...we've got 'stuff' to talk about..." She smiled with an exchanged wink between her and her mother. Wiping her hands carefully on a blue paper napkin, the young girl ended, "And we need a little privacy."  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes in despair as his daughter smiled at him too. It seemed his whole damn family was going human...He was beginning to wonder where all this supposed saiyan pride had gone.  
  
'Disappeared without a trace...' he thought silently, scowling into his food with almost a pout.  
  
Bulma, of course, didn't mind at all, waving the girls off with a boundless smile. The girls got up and started to saunter in the opposite direction of Trunks and Goten. Obviously, though the older teens would be fairly busy, they didn't want to be getting any sudden surprises from the mischievous boys.  
  
Children away, now only the adults remained to entertain each other. Still, happy faces drowned out the empty spots at the table. Each face was glad for the still familiar company.  
  
However, a certain someone remained in thought, unsatisfied with the calm. His curiosity had been growing in the pit of his mind, a dangerously dark place, drawing him back to Juuhachi's slumped form over by the far trees. She still sat there as motionless as death.  
  
Well, he'd just have to find out a little more then, ne?  
  
"So...Krillen..." Krillen stiffened mid-sentence, surprised to hear that low, gruff voice speak his appropriate name. He looked up at Vegeta slowly, not knowing exactly how to respond. Half the table quieted in a mysterious silence.  
  
"What exactly is up with your onna? The truth this time..."  
  
Krillen blanched slightly. A bile made of anger rose suddenly in his throat. "I don't really think it's any of your business, Vegeta." The small man stared into the prince's smirking eyes, trying to hold down the rage welling within.  
  
And Gokou, as usual, saw the opportunity to intervene. He quickly turned the conversation a little less hostile. "Calm down, Krillen. Everyone is worried about her, all right? She really doesn't seem...well. Are you sure she's O.K?"  
  
"Speak for yourself, you saiyan no baka yarou."  
  
"Wh-? Uh..." Krillen sighed, looking back to her still form. "She's fine! It's just...we had a little...fight...this morning."  
  
The whole table "oh'd" and "aw'd", making Krillen jump.  
  
"I didn't really expect her to respond like this..."  
  
"You stupid little man...You actually think that's why she's being such a pout?" Vegeta prodded. "Give me a break, ningen."  
  
"Wha-?"  
  
The saiyan prince leaned in even closer to Krillen, playing on the small man's expression like a deadly game. "You humans are so clueless sometimes..."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Vegeta smirked even wider. "I bet I know where this little fight of yours took place. In the bed, ne? Not performing well lately, mop-top?  
  
"Vegeta..." Bulma warned. She gazed fully at the saiyan prince, raising a thin blue eyebrow. He merely looked smugly away.  
  
From the look of Krillen's bunched up face, he was beginning to definitely show he was having enough...And as Vegeta looked over to where Juuhachi sat and back at the short man, his eyes flickering with that familiar mock, the last string was pulled. All the anger from the morning rushed through his tiny veins like a spark to gasoline. No sooner had Vegeta looked away again, he jumped up, balling his rough fists in front of him. His plate, now forgotten, dropped to the ground noisily.  
  
"You don't know a thing about what's going on, all right? So just shut the hell up!" His voice rang through the park, forcing him to instantly regret the words. As they left his mouth, a sudden, nearly complete silence surrounded from every direction. Birds chirped lively somewhere in the treetops, the only audible sound for what seemed like miles.  
  
Vegeta smiled a sinister smile, picking at his food as if the conversation did not matter. There hadn't been a good argument for hours on this crappy outing...Bulma ignoring his pokes and prods, Gokou turning any insult into an excuse for a laugh(damn that Kakarotto)...  
  
But, Krillen seemed to be in an especially irritated mood today.  
  
'Just what I need'  
  
"Oh I think I do," he stated matter-of-factly. "So do you."  
  
"Vegeta!" Bulma stood over the saiyan prince with a swelling rage. "You promised me before we came here that you weren't going to ruin this for everyone! Why are you doing this now!?"  
  
He stood himself, ablaze at her tone. "I assured you I'd 'try' not to mess this already fucked up picnic while I was here. I didn't promise you anything!"  
  
"Baka yarou! You always ruin everything! I-...I-..." She blinked and looked around, plummeting back to reality. As the angry fog lifted, she realized that she and Vegeta were the only two standing. Everyone else, including Krillen, stared up at them with completely blank faces.  
  
"I, uh..."  
  
"Bulma, it's O.K. You don't need to get mad for me." Krillen glanced at the arrogant prince and then back at his cherished friend. "He can't help it..."  
  
A twitch from the saiyan prince followed by a grunt was the only noticeable response. Vegeta kneaded his nails into the palms of his clenched fists until he could feel a searing pain. This idiot of a shrimp was talking like he was referring to some disobedient child! Where the heck did he get off talking down to a prince like that?!  
  
"I'll have you know, you whimpy piece of sh-"  
  
"Shut up! Shut up now!" The bite of the woman's voice in his ears silenced him with a vengeance. She placed both hands on his t-shirt clothed shoulders, pushing against the fabric, and spun him around with one mighty twist. Before he could even open his mouth to protest, she had him moving away from the table at an incredible speed.  
  
"Go! Go! I'm telling you now, GO! You want to be an ass? Then be it somewhere else! I've dealt with your lone wolf, princely, royal pain in the ass, shit-treating, vegetable headed attitude for as long as I can handle! Now, go!"  
  
One last shove to the back and Vegeta stumbled, half fell, to the ground on one knee. He was incredibly shocked at the woman's sudden actions. Quickly standing and stepping back, his eyes went wide with accusation. Murmurs and chuckles sprouted up behind the Onna's defiant form.  
  
Her eyes read pure fury.  
  
"And don't bother coming back until it's time to go! In fact leave. Leave!" She waved her feminine arms in the spring air as if she was trying to scare off some menacing bird. "I don't want to see your face for the rest of the afternoon!"  
  
Vegeta's cheeks burned a sudden red. He couldn't believe that she was doing this! To him of all people! Him! Who the hell did she think she was?  
  
She obviously thought she was someone that didn't want to put up with his attitude any more. Pointing with a steady finger she gave a final "get out of here" with a jagged motion behind him. And man, did she really mean business...  
  
Vegeta didn't know what to do. She'd never quite blown up at him like this before...She usually had slightly more restraint, more flexibility...  
  
So he did the only thing that he could think to do in the short moment. He turned and wandered, glaring over his shoulder every couple of steps, to stand a ways away. The almost mechanical movement brought him to the thicker tree line, quite a distance from the rest of the group.  
  
And he just stood there.  
  
Bulma gazed after him for a couple of minutes, her eyes still slightly shaking with anger. Every last soul behind her remained as quiet as possible, not a sound uttering from their stilled lips. Then she nodded once with a huff as a last blow to the strangely obedient prince and plopped down hard onto the picnic bench.  
  
The talking ensued, this time with bombarding questions and a slight hint of laughter beneath the surprise.  
  
The prince spun around, not wanting to look at their faces; not wanting to see the mock he'd so plainly given to Krillen only minutes ago. Mock was for sorry ningen losers....not people like him. He couldn't stand to see them looking at him like that.  
  
Why the hell hadn't he argued back?  
  
The sudden thought sprung into his mind, bringing a strange feeling creeping up his spine. He hadn't even shot back a good insult or anything. He'd just walked away...just...like...that...  
  
Forget about Juuhachi, what the heck was wrong with him?  
  
Vegeta stared in thought down the thinning crest of trees that sprouted from the sodden ground. Down the short, muddy decline of the water's bay lay the park's glistening stream. Its waters winked in a flickering admiration to the sun and the sky, a brilliancy that Vegeta had to squint into as he glared. He leaned to the side and felt the rough bark of an Oak against his shoulder. He continued to stare, glowering into the scenery silently.  
  
"Baka no Onna," he murmured, snorting in disgust. "There is something seriously wrong with that woman. Telling me what to do...ha..."  
  
The prince looked over his shoulder and back at the picnic for a moment, pointedly. They all were chattering like fools again, smiles back in place. Well, they had no reason to be silent anymore. The problem had been removed, hadn't it? Vegeta frowned even deeper as the thought plummeted down to a single word. Problem.  
  
Bulma still eyed him angrily from the table. He could see. Every once in a while a flash of blue would look towards him, anger clouded in their bright midst. He had really done it this time...It was obvious Vegeta's behavior really had been getting on her nerves more than he thought it had.  
  
Though lately, her walls were suspiciously a little less resistant to his normal attitude. Little things like snide remarks or simple looks were beginning to knock her calm clear through, revealing emotions that Vegeta was beginning to find slightly disturbing. He didn't even have to try to piss her off anymore. It just happened.  
  
Of course his usual self was a little over the top as it was. (: P)  
  
For the tenth time, she looked up from the group. Her brows slightly knit together as she searched for his form in the silhouettes of the trees. Vegeta caught her gaze as it wafted to where he stood.  
  
But, she didn't look away. Nor did he. Vegeta could feel her holding back something inside from where he stood; a world of anger, pity, sadness...he couldn't really understand what was reflecting in her eyes.  
  
Damn, that woman was as confusing as hell.  
  
And suddenly...FLASH! There it was! Vegeta barely caught the tail end of it, his eyes blinking with surprise. But, for a moment, the emotion was brilliantly clear. His saiyan mind searched with every ability possessed in his body to understand...to even grasp what the hell that look had meant. Yet, even with the best of his skills, he still couldn't decipher what he'd just seen. Damn it.he probably couldn't have understood if he had a heavy duty telescope glued to the side of his head...But, whatever had glimmered in that Onna's eyes made a bile of heat rise in his throat, so hot it seared in reply.  
  
The feeling rushed down his body like lightning.  
  
"Kissama...," he muttered, and spun around as fast as his body could swivel. Shutting his eyes tight against the waters below, he shivered ever so slightly against the subtle breeze. The burning sensation began to fade its shocking touch against his insides and his hitched breath flowed out evenly in one deep "swoosh".  
  
Damn it all to hell and back again...  
  
He was more than shocked, he was darn well confused. The urge to run, fly away, flee...in whatever form, he just wanted to suddenly leave. Leave the feeling behind, far, far behind.  
  
But, he didn't dare. He could feel her hot blue eyes on his back even then, searing into him. Holding onto him. But, then, she too looked away, averting that questioning gaze...that demanding gaze...  
  
He tried to look as casual as possible, leaned up against the tree. The sound of swishing water was in his ears, as well as the faint chirp of some sort of bird in the trees above. It was spring time...Spring sounds...Spring...think of Spring...  
  
Vegeta shook his head, ridding himself of any remaining concerns. The Onna was full of herself, beyond belief. And if she wanted to be acting like such a prude, then he wouldn't stop her. It wasn't his job to decipher her cracked up little mind. No...Not at all...He could care less.  
  
Still, deep inside, Vegeta knew that that wasn't what the look had meant.  
  
Staring and staring...The scenery ahead of the prince was beginning to terribly bore him. The soothing stream and the call of the birds would have been peace to any other...any other but him. He needed action, arguments, something to do...  
  
His trailing mind wandered over to a familiar form a ways away. Juuhachi blended nearly perfectly in with the trees with her brown garments and her slumped form. Only her hair caught Vegeta's black eyes, twinkling in the noonday sun.  
  
Come to think of it, he was still fuming from that stupid shrimp of a ningen. Screw Bulma...he had business to take care of.  
  
He stepped carefully and silently away from the trees, curving around the backs to stalk through the shadows. His body was camouflaged in the deep shadows of the bending trunks as he practically tip-toed through the brush, towards his equally silent prey. Yes...prey...that was it...stalking his prey in the sun of the afternoon. Vegeta smirked evilly at the nostalgic thought.  
  
Just like old times.  
  
Well...not quite. But, as the prince slowly slunk up behind the blond haired woman, invisible behind the trees to the rest of the picnickers beyond, Vegeta could feel a small push of adrenaline pumping through his veins.  
  
She must really have been out of it not to have heard him by now. The saiyan no Ouji stood above her with a mocking glint reflecting in his dangerous eyes. Not even a flinch of recognition...pathetic indeed. Vegeta opened his mouth to laugh at the withered Juuhachi, sending a blow of ridicule sailing down. Give her something to really pout about...something...  
  
"Do and you die, Vegeta."  
  
He froze right then and there. Vegeta didn't even realize his mouth hung slightly open, a breath of air halfway inhaled. Juuhachi shifted her pretty little head to glance momentarily up at him, snorting as he snapped his mouth shut, and then went back to staring at the banks below.  
  
"Charming..."  
  
"Bitch...," Vegeta muttered for the second time, flopping against the same tree as Juu-chan to rest. His own slight, princely pout withered from his thin lips.  
  
"You're lucky I wasn't trying...would have scared the shit out of you..."  
  
Juuhachi didn't even show she'd heard him. A strange silence flowed in between them, Vegeta crossing his muscled arms in the midst of it. The rustle of skin against skin was incredibly loud.  
  
Vegeta eyed the back of her head, annoyed. Juuhachi eyed the distance, emotionless. The quiet was insane-driven, pounding on the saiyan's ears like gong drums. Voices laughed in the background, a forgotten scene with the two...Music in the distance...Nothing-but-silence where they stood..  
  
"So...," Vegeta broke in. His voice forced himself to shift in a slight uneasiness. Juuhachi still didn't move.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It seems Krillen's got his gi in a knot. I suppose it was your fault, ne?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Pffth...You're both so pathetic...Did I forget to mention you look like shit?"  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"...All right..."  
  
Talk about Bulma being unnerving lately. Vegeta could practically feel the hatred radiating from her body. It was...scary...  
  
"What's your problem, Vegeta?"  
  
He paused, slightly startled by Juuhachi's sudden outburst. Slowly, he uttered, "What the hell are you talking about?"  
  
"Why do you always do what you do? Act how you act?"  
  
He narrowed his thick eyebrows with a frown. "You're making no sense, Blondie. I think you've had a few too many whacks to the..."  
  
"You've got a wonderful home, a wonderful, loving wife, aspiring children...And you...the ass of all asses."  
  
"Why you..."  
  
She continued over him, raising her voice beyond his angered one. "You wouldn't know a good thing if it bit you in your ass of all asses."  
  
"Shut the hell up, bitch woman!" he called her for the second time. "As if you know anything about 'good things'!"  
  
She looked up at him again.  
  
"You're married to a mop-top, used to be marble-headed, midget with a daughter that looks like she got shoved through the hedge trimmers and came back out looking like you! You call that a 'good thing'?"  
  
Juuhachi clenched her thin fists tightly at her sides, her eyes narrowing alike his own.  
  
"At least I've got better than you, you freak...Forget the loving wife thing...Who the hell has blue hair anyways? I'd say you have more of a clown squad than a family."  
  
She didn't even have to yell out the comment for it to hit straight home. In a sudden burst, raw and powerful, Vegeta let out a terrifying emotional explosion. Familiar golden wisps began to trail about his form.  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"I said, shut the hell up!"  
  
Rage filled, and battered to the soul, Juuhachi stood up in one fluent movement, her nose nearly touching the saiyan prince's to the tip.  
  
"Well, I say, make me!"  
  
Instantly his hair shattered into a flailing sweep of bright light. Eyes, now a piercing green, stared daggers so sharp she could nearly feel them puncturing her pale skin.  
  
"Don't you ever talk to me like that, you wench..." His low growl forced a shiver down her back. Fear trailed in the pits of her wide eyes. Vegeta could clearly see the almost invisible emotion writhing in those beautiful blues, the sense of power it gave him feeding his uncontrollable anger. The saiyan pulled his thick fist back with a readiness to show exactly how dangerous this prince could get.  
  
"Screw you!"  
  
And with a strong, animal cry, Vegeta brought his hand forward, hard. 


	4. Kiss Your Love Goodbye (3)

RATING: PG-13  
  
PART: part 3/unkown chapters  
  
PAIRING: Krillen and #18, Bulma and Vegeta, and Vegeta and #18  
  
CHAPTER WARNING: Profanity  
  
DISCLAIMER: All Dragonball GT characters belong to Akira Toriyama and the producers of Dragonball GT. I do not own any of the characters, or anything to do with the characters. Blah, blah, blah...You get the point.  
  
Note: Once again, Juuhachi= #18. Lyrics and song title is from Brian McKnight's "Kiss Your Love Good-bye". ^_^ And no, with the hand on the shirt thingy, she is not hitting on Vegeta...  
  
-_-; Not yet, anyway.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Stooooooooop!" she cried, the horrified words gushing from her open mouth. The pain, the blood, the broken nose...Clenching her eyelids shut as tight as her muscles would able, Juuhachi could already feel his lead- like fist connecting with her face. She could hear the splintering, taste the red liquid dribbling down her face and into her lips. The image of her cracked expression, redness covering its frightened surface, flashed once yet clearly, as the oncoming shadow fell over her trembling body.  
  
She was powerful, but her strength compared to not even a fraction of Vegeta's. He was going to kill her...  
  
Kill her!  
  
THUUUUNK!  
  
Juuhachi's shaking body arched against the tree in one swift movement as the sound echoed through her being. A soft cry escaped her lips, the pungent taste of fear on her tongue along with it.  
  
He...He...  
  
Vegeta exhaled in one swift breath and his own eyes closed in sudden disgust. Teeth were clenched rock hard in rage, alike his powerful fists.  
  
He...  
  
"Bitch..." he whispered. "You fat, ugly bitch..."  
  
Her eyes shot open as the air suddenly rushed into her lungs.  
  
"Don't you ever...ever..."  
  
"Vegeta..." His name left her lips without her realizing it was her own voice that emerged. She simply stared into his glinting green eyes, her fingernails digging into the bark against her back. He was but centimeters from her with his breath tickling her pale cheeks like ants upon her skin.  
  
And his fist...  
  
His fist was not even millimeters away from her skull. Juuhachi could feel the aura licking at her ear with a lust like no other, feeling its intense heat slightly burn. The bark beneath his fist splintered up around her limp hair, still groaning from the impact with tiny woes of pain.  
  
He had missed.  
  
Missed?...  
  
"Vegeta..." she murmured again, so softly. He did not move. Still he glared fire into her eyes, so close that with the slightest movement, their lips could have touched. So close that she swore she could see the end to the scalding pits of his nearly bottomless pupils, the end to the emptiness.  
  
So close...  
  
His face slowly grimaced into a fierce scowl, a cold opposite to the fire in his eyes. Lips moved, searching to speak, to lash its whips at the expectant android.  
  
He had so wanted to kill her.  
  
Before she could utter his name in question yet another time, his fist dislodged from the thick skin of the blossom tree. It was more than shocking that even the tree remained intact, only its surface barely imploded from the force. He had had the chance to knock it clear over...  
  
And he had missed.  
  
"Don't you ever piss me off..." he sneered as he had never sneered before. "Don't you ever..." He pulled back slowly.  
  
Her back remained pressed to the bark. Juuhachi could feel the tremble -unknown to be relief, remaining fear, or shock- welling up within her muscles. It shook her hands until they rattled against her sides silently. Her molars chattered against one another in an undignified chorus, her jaw clamping down to still them.  
  
The bastard...  
  
"You...you!" she finally managed, pushing off of the bark with still shaking knees. "You could have crushed me! You could have killed me! Who the fuck do you think you are!?"  
  
He stopped his turn away from the android and peered back to regard her sullenly. Her now, strangely glimmering, beautiful blue eyes danced as the anger welled up within her female frame. His very hand could have imploded her skull if he had meant to, could have shattered her bones until her head was nothing but a blond mess of dust.  
  
HE COULD HAVE KILLED HER!  
  
(Weakness, weakness...a tiny frail mind in a tiny frail body.)  
  
The feeling of helplessness, the shame of weakness...  
  
(Run.)  
  
She tried to stop her self; her insides screamed with the urge not to do what she was about to do.  
  
(Run back to your little family and be.)  
  
However, someone like her could not heed. She was rebellious by nature...rebellious to her very core. Thus, she grabbed his tank top by the shoulder and yanked him back.  
  
(Just let it be!)  
  
CRAAAAACK!  
  
And Vegeta fell to the ground in a muddle of surprise. His cheek burned slightly with an invisible sting, the hit not strong enough to even cause redness. His golden aura flickered light, then bright, burning out in his shock. Juuhachi loomed above him, her hand still cocked from the connection. Aqua eyes continued to rock back and forth in their bed of white, suddenly bouncing from Vegeta's fallen body, to her stinging hand, and back to the speechless prince. It was as if the comprehension of her actions still hadn't surfaced in her shallow mind. Vegeta himself couldn't believe she'd done what she'd just done.  
  
Beaten down by so many women in just one day...a cruel fate for a male.  
  
"Wench..." He peered up at the woman.  
  
"Shut up." Juuhachi's bite was strong from her lips. "Just shut up! How dare you...HOW-DARE-YOU!? You need to get a reality check you bastard, because you've stepped on my toes for the last time! I don't know how your wife can 'stand' you! You...YOU!..."  
  
"Fuck you."  
  
"BAKA YAROU!"  
  
Vegeta stood with a masculine grace, running knuckled fingers through his unruly raven hair. Their eyes battled each other, grasping their pride like swords to defend falling honor. Slowly, a cruel grin trailed across his chiseled features and he turned to walk away again.  
  
"You slap like a girl, Blondie."  
  
"You asshole!"  
  
A chuckle breezed out of the prince. Strong muscles defined themselves beneath the fabric of his tank top with every step he took.  
  
Juuhachi was furious. No...More than furious, she was about to explode with white-hot rage. Every single time...Every single time, the idiot never changed! The android watched him striding away, feeling the slight burn on the palm of her hand.  
  
"Fine. Leave," she exhaled. "Leave! And don't let me see your ugly face again! I've had enough horrors for one day!"  
  
"You're starting to sound like that idiot Onna..." Vegeta called over his shoulder.  
  
"Good! Then maybe I'll beat some humility into you like she did! Now get out of my site!"  
  
The saiyan no Ouji rounded a thick clump of trees, giving a short snort before he disappeared. Juuhachi growled after him, plopping back down on the ground in a heap.  
  
"Stupid monkey..."  
  
A shuddering cough abruptly erupted from behind the cherry blossom trees. Juuhachi blinked silently towards the sound, her lips freezing around the words.  
  
Everything was suddenly silent, such an awkward quiet in the midst of nature. At first, her instincts furrowed almost automatically at the sudden emptiness. But, as she realized the prince was still in hearing distance, a tiny grin melted across her face like chocolate as her mouth began to move again.  
  
"Stupid...monkey..."  
  
Another growl. Before she manage another blink, Vegeta swerved around the trees and stomped straight up to the sitting blond, his eyes shaking in anger.  
  
"Shut up already!"  
  
"Ha! Over-sensitive beast!"  
  
"NRGGHH..."  
  
"Feh! Talk about being daft. Didn't I tell you to get lost already!?"  
  
"Try keeping your big mouth shut and maybe I will!"  
  
"Gah!" Arms crossed in one rage-filled flail. Her upper torso swerved in a pout, turning her away from the saiyan.  
  
"Besides, ever heard of a free country, witch? I can be where I prefer, 'when' I prefer."  
  
Her teeth clenched tightly against each other. "I was here first!"  
  
"For Dende's sake!"  
  
"Go!"  
  
"RAARGH!" Vegeta cried, thumping down to the grass covered floor almost painfully. He crossed his own arms in defiance, keeping his eye-line away from the android. She simply stared at him, mouth a-gape.  
  
"What the hell are you doing!?"  
  
Nothing.  
  
"Hello? Speak to me!"  
  
"Shut. Up."  
  
"Leave me alone!"  
  
"For the last friggin' time, and listen closely: I, Vegeta, prince of all saiyans, will sit wherever he chooses! And no tramp of a blonde is going to say or do otherwise! You have a problem with it, then YOU leave!"  
  
"No! I WAS HERE FIRST!!!"  
  
"So immature..."  
  
Juuhachi's hands slapped the ground with weak force, her head bobbing down as the fury overtook. This was unbelievable..."You...You...!" The anger was so immense that her nerves had wound themselves into one massive knot. All thoughts were jumbled, wrapped in the horribly scalding heat that bound them.  
  
"M-me? Childish? You're only doing the exact opposite of what I tell you to do just to Piss. Me. Off! You call that mature?"  
  
No reply.  
  
Growling in anguish, Juuhachi threw herself back against the thick trunk, giving a haughty pout of defeat. A good distance still separated her and the saiyan, a near two meters between them.  
  
From the corner of her eye, she stared at the back of his unruly hair. Neither spoke, the familiar silence welcomed this time. Yet, in the distance of the silence, Juuhachi's ears could pick up the faintest sounds. The rest of the others...their laughter picked up over the grass and the trees along with the laughter of so many other families. The image of Vegeta blurred in her vision as tears began to trickle. She turned away.  
  
"I hate you."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"No really, I 'hate' you."  
  
"...?"  
  
"You just can't leave me be, can you..?"  
  
Vegeta let his gaze travel towards the woman slowly. Her body had regained its depressive hunch and she now hid her face to her crossed legs, her palms pressed against her cheeks.  
  
"I just wanted to be alone...Is that so horrible?"  
  
The prince was still as stone. A breeze whispered through his ebony hair from where he sat, ruffling his clothes along his body. Juuhachi brushed back a few strands of her hair that danced down into her face.  
  
Her shoulders shuddered in deep remorse.  
  
"This isn't just because of Krillen...is it...?"  
  
Juuhachi blinked back shimmering tears to give Vegeta a brief glance. Her eyes were unhidden to him for only a second, but a second enough for him to see all the pain welling up inside.  
  
"Maybe..."  
  
"Hn."  
  
She sighed. "Yes..."  
  
"Such a complicated beast you are."  
  
She blinked. "It's not Krillen's fault at all. It's...It's mine."  
  
"Exactly what are you at fault 'for'?" The prince raised a questioning eyebrow. His features nearly gave him the expression of amusement in the midst of his frown.  
  
Juuhachi opened her mouth to answer, but found herself to be at a complete blank. Lips closed and opened again, her mind searching, but...  
  
She didn't really know.  
  
"I hurt him," she finally whispered. Vegeta barely heard, slightly disturbed with the slumped android.  
  
"I was horrible."  
  
Raising her gaze again, Juuhachi drew an arm across her face to wipe away the tears that glistened on her skin. When she lowered the limb, Vegeta still sat there, staring reluctantly at her glistening face. Neither blinked and neither turned their gaze this time.  
  
"Do you think I'm horrible, Vegeta?" she suddenly asked. Vegeta flustered in the moment, flipping around to clutch himself in embarrassment.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Well I think you're horrible too." It was peculiar how she said those words. So soft, so calm that Vegeta had to carefully turn and look her in the eye again with wonder.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You must feel like this sometimes too."  
  
A blush crept across his skin. "I've never. I don't feel guilt for my actions."  
  
"No...Not just guilt." Juuhachi raised her head, giving the tiniest smile. "Feeling..." She placed a hand on the fabric of her shirt, right over her beating heart. Looking back up, Vegeta's features had grown calm.  
  
"Feeling...this."  
  
(The pain of love. The pain of silent love...)  
  
His mouth lingered. It was more wonder than shock that held his attention. Juuhachi was being so...remorseful. His eyes drifted to her placed hand, still in deep thought.  
  
Feel this?  
  
"No." He mouthed deliberately and with definition. "That seems to be something only you're bothered with."  
  
Her face fell.  
  
"Now if you don't mind," he muttered, standing quickly, "I'm growing bored with this dull conversation. Find someone else to drone to."  
  
"I thought you said you had right to wherever you wished..."  
  
"And I do," he stated, giving her a last glare. "But, I've decided I'd rather sit alone than listen to your mindless speech. I'm a saiyan, not your psychiatrist.  
  
Juuhachi pursed her lips in rage. She wasn't deliberately spouting to him it...just came out. Kami, how horribly rude. She had only wanted to get a little off her chest...and...And he was the one that had sat near her! It wasn't her fault that she was feeling open today.  
  
"You'll never change," she spat. "Go rot somewhere else then."  
  
"I think I will."  
  
She crossed her arms again, giving into the welcoming pout. Vegeta brushed himself off and picked the grass off the bottom of his pants. His back remained turned to the android as he struggled to keep a hold of his expression. Bits of understanding and sadness flowed through the tiny cracks in his mask, seeping like blood. He did feel...No, it wasn't something forlorn to him. But, he had an image to present. He had a mask of pride and honor to cover his pain. Thus, he mended the cracks as best he could and stepped away.  
  
"Vegeta! What the hell are you doing?"  
  
He swung around, first glaring at Juuhachi, then -after noticing the innocent expression upon her face- turned to look into the trees.  
  
Bulma shook a fist at the saiyan. "I leave you alone for ten minutes and you're already bothering Juuhachi? What the hell is wrong with you?" She turned to the android. "Did he do anything? Say anything?"  
  
Juuhachi opened her mouth, but promptly closed it again. Bulma swung back around to Vegeta.  
  
"I thought you went home at first! Instead, you decide to take your problems out on Juuhachi!"  
  
"No, Bulma, really...he-." Bulma held up a hand to silence her friend.  
  
"It's O.K, Juuhachi; I know you're not feeling well. I'll deal with this."  
  
"No, Bulma, I-!"  
  
"Get-lost, Vegeta," Bulma sneered. "No body wants you around right now, so get lost! How many times do you have to be told?!"  
  
Vegeta choked in the back of his throat, though he kept his composure up front.  
  
She was in his face with one step, jutting her finger in demand. "I am so tired of you, you hear me? I am so friggin'-"  
  
"Bulma!" Juuhachi screamed. Her hands placed on the woman's chest, she shoved the blue haired Onna back from the prince. The android suddenly found herself standing in between the prince and his wife, Bulma holding back profound surprise.  
  
"J-Juu-chan?"  
  
"Bulma, gomen!" she gushed. "It...He...Vegeta wasn't bothering me! Don't get mad at him, please! We did have a bit of a fight at first, but Vegeta didn't do anything wrong. He actually..." She looked over her shoulder encouragingly. "He was being a big help. I needed someone to talk to and...he stepped up." Juuhachi looked back to the woman, concern resurfacing. "Really...he didn't do anything wrong."  
  
Bulma gaped openly. Vegeta? Helping?  
  
Ha!  
  
Nevertheless, Bulma did not want to argue with Juuhachi, especially not in the condition the android seemed to be in. If she said that Vegeta was being of help...then Bulma would believe her. Bulma nodded in compliance, looking over her friend's shoulder at the surprised prince.  
  
"A-All right. If you say so..."  
  
They all stared at each other, or rather, Bulma and Vegeta stared at each other. Juuhachi stared at the ground, a blush creeping across her cheeks. She couldn't believe she'd just said that...  
  
Neither could Vegeta. His brain, for the first time, had come to an abrupt stop. Nothing in the world could make him fathom why he'd just been rescued by...by...  
  
By her!  
  
"We're heading to the festival down the hill," Bulma said softly. Both Juuhachi and Vegeta blinked back, not registering the words. "That's why I came over here...so that you wouldn't get left behind or anything." Obviously, the woman was talking to Juuhachi, rejecting the saiyan prince's presence. Vegeta frowned.  
  
"Do you want to come? O-or you could stay here, that's fine. Rest and all..." Bulma looked at her feet, suddenly ashamed. However, Juuhachi managed a smile, nodding to the woman.  
  
"Sure. But, in a bit. I'll catch up...later." She looked at the saiyan no Ouji again. He blinked back.  
  
Bulma nodded in return. Giving the prince a hidden scowl, she turned and walked away. They waited until her footsteps disappeared before they acknowledged each other.  
  
"I don't need you to defend me," Vegeta stated simply.  
  
"I know," she sputtered. "At least be grateful that I did anything at all."  
  
"I told you, I don't need you to defend me."  
  
She turned fully around and looked him straight in the eye. "You never learn...Vegeta, you don't deserve a single good thing life hands to you. A bastard at heart." His frown deepened.  
  
Juuhachi walked around him with a huff. "Excuse me, I think I'm going to head down to the festival. At least it'll be better than sitting up here. Maybe I'll even get a chance to play a game or two."  
  
"I..."  
  
"Obviously better than being here with you."  
  
"Arigato."  
  
She froze, eyes wide. One foot, stuck mid-step, slowly touched the ground as she turned with shock.  
  
"Nani?!"  
  
Vegeta's eyes swept to the ground, noting the flat spots in the grass where he and Juuhachi had sat. His mouth flexed into a thin line and his arms crossed angrily.  
  
"Forget it."  
  
Juuhachi didn't move, suspended in disbelief. She began to speak, to mock the embarrassed prince. But his expression displayed was one that made her heart melt right where it was in her chest. She smiled another weak smile and gave him a little nod.  
  
"Aren't you coming?"  
  
He looked up, that same surprise on his face.  
  
"I said, are you coming?"  
  
"I-I...W-Well..." Vegeta searched for the right words.  
  
"Of course I'm coming! What kind of idiot are you? You don't just leave a prince behind."  
  
Juuhachi smiled a little wider. Vegeta stepped up behind her, following through the trees.  
  
"Good. Then we can see who's got the better arm."  
  
Vegeta snorted with pride. "Yah, right..." Then he looked to her, no longer able to look down at her, sharing the same height. "Especially being ill like you are."  
  
And Juuhachi stopped in her tracks. Looking back, Vegeta stopped as well, a slight confusion evident.  
  
"It's gone," she whispered.  
  
"Kami, you make no sense."  
  
"N-no! It's..." Her voice fell into silence. "It-it doesn't matter right now."  
  
"For Kami's sake, enough with the drivel before you make me promptly 'throw- up'. Either come on, or stand there like a fool."  
  
She watched him begin to walk again, taking a moment before she followed. They walked side by side out of the trees, most of the families in the park gone and down the hill to the games. Bulma, Gokou and the rest were nowhere to be found.  
  
"Damn it, he probably even ate what I had left on my plate," Vegeta snarled, still smelling the scent of chicken from the area. Juuhachi rolled her eyes.  
  
"Saiyans and their food."  
  
"Hey, I'm hungry!" he grunted, angrily. "And you didn't even eat 'anything'. No wonder you're so sick."  
  
"I feel better, thank-you," she said, annoyance coming back. "Now if you don't mind, I told Bulma I was coming." She attempted to put distance between her and Vegeta, heading towards the sounds of laughter and music. The festival was loud with laughing people and games galore.  
  
Vegeta stared after her. She did look a little better, the same slump and depression to her form less evident. She seemed to walk with a little bit more of that old pride, a spark of it left within her body.  
  
He scowled for the hundredth time that day. He just couldn't understand females. One minute she was in tears, and then suddenly full of anger...Bah, for all he knew, it was that horrid time of month for her. It would be a good explanation for all of these mood-swings she seemed to be having. He shook the idea out of his head.  
  
None of his business...none of his business. He 'really' didn't need to be thinking about that. Her emotions were her business. He didn't care to get involved, not even in the slightest. He'd already made that mistake with a certain blue haired raven. One woman on his case was more than enough.  
  
//"No...Not just guilt." Juuhachi raised her head, giving the tiniest smile. "Feeling..." she placed a hand on the fabric of her shirt, right over her beating heart. Looking back up, Vegeta's features had grown calm. //  
  
Vegeta shuddered, remembering. Kami, was she being morbid. So much depression for someone who wasn't even human...Opening a fist, he stared down at his palm and caressed the lines of his hand with a thumb.  
  
Not like he could talk. He wasn't exactly human either.  
  
//"Feeling...this."//  
  
"Hmm..." His head shot up, eyes narrowed. Juuhachi had already headed down the hill, reaching the front entrance of the festival. A booth, only open for entrance donations, stood at the front.  
  
"It's only a 50 yen entrance fee, ma'am," the man at the front smiled. "All money is donated to the local children's hospital right from the festival." Juuhachi nodded and reached into her pocket for the coins.  
  
Suddenly a hand was in her view, a bill clutched as he placed it on the booth counter. At first, the man in the booth looked surprised, but ended smiling at Vegeta and then the woman, taking the money happily.  
  
"Enjoy your stay," he chided. "And have a nice day."  
  
Juuhachi looked to him in question. Nevertheless, Vegeta shrugged her look off and strode through the entrance, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets with a grunt. Juuhachi followed, trying to hide her own subtle smile.  
  
"You know..." Vegeta began as the vision of the festival opened to the two of them. Games, vendors, and rides galore met their sight, the whole of it striking a sort of awe.  
  
"What..." Juuhachi asked calmly.  
  
"Sometimes being alone..." he whispered, "is not such a good thing." Then he stepped away, obviously expecting her to follow as they headed for the nearest snack area.  
  
Juuhachi's face remained blank behind him. But, something lit up inside of her, forcing her to blush with a smile. She hurried up behind him, taking care to burn his words into her memory...Vegeta actually being kind.  
  
"Yah..." she murmured, reaching into her pocket for money to pay for the food.  
  
"I agree." 


End file.
